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Bernard Dineen: We must stop kowtowing to the Americans
IT is time we stopped trotting at American heels in international politics. I have always believed in the Atlantic Alliance (even though it is hard sometimes to see what special advantages we get from the special relationship). But there are limits.
We are trapped in Afghanistan in order to demonstrate that we are a faithful ally. Other allies like Germany, Spain and Holland, are heading for the exit. We are waiting to see what President Obama wants us to do, scared to even mention the words "exit strategy".
How many more British deaths will it take for us to reject the naive US view that putting paper in a ballot box creates a democratic paradise?
When several of our men died last year in taking the district of Nad Ali, we then handed control over to the Afghan police, who regarded it as a licence to rape young boys. Eventually, the population invited
the Taliban back to protect them. Some democracy.
The "marital rape law," signed not long ago by President Karzai, allows a man to deny his wife food if she denies him marital sex, gives guardianship of children to fathers and grandfathers, and requires women to get permission from their husbands to work.
The Pashtuns (such as President Karzai) have a code translated as "Only I am allowed to hurt my women". Eighty per cent of women have suffered domestic violence. Almost half the girls are forced into marriage before 16, and some are as young as nine.
It is tempting to regard such people as barbarians, beyond the pale, but it should be resisted. I served with Pashtuns in the Indian Army and there are no people I admire more. They are men of absolute integrity, with a deep code of honour. But it was obvious that their concept of honour was different from ours. That does not make them inferior. A European civilisation that produced two world wars and the Holocaust is scarcely in a position to lecture others. What right do we have to impose our views on theirs?
The shameful sight of Gordon Brown prostrating himself in order to get a brief nod from Barack Obama (as at the D-Day commemoration) shows how far a once proud nation has sunk. The same went for Tony Blair, licking the boots of George W Bush. Say what you like about Margaret Thatcher, she did not kowtow to anyone.
It is time to demonstrate that though we may no longer be a great power, we still have pride and self-respect. Afghanistan would be a good place to start.
TWO questions about the Tories and Europe:
n What is the point in talking about a referendum when the point of the referendum has vanished? Answer: none.
n If (like me) you want an end to EU interference in our lives, particularly over immigration and law, are you most likely to achieve it as a government or as an opposition? Answer: as a government.
It follows therefore that anything making it less likely to win an election victory is a distraction (David Davis, please note).
The smug face of the Tory MP Bill Cash, surely the wisest fool in Christendom, was rarely off our TV screens last week. As he dashes from TV studio to TV studio, does Cash never wonder why he is suddenly so popular? Is it because our thoughtful media are thirsting for his wisdom? Or is it because every time he opens his mouth he makes a Tory victory less likely?
One cloud remains. The misguided decision to pull out of the
mainstream EU group and join with East Europeans with dark talk of anti-Semitism, continues to cause trouble. Of course, the decision is being distorted and twisted by the Left, but what else would you expect?
Some way must be found to repair the damage. You can produce chief rabbis as much as you like, but the smear remains.
Meanwhile, the absurd decision to expel the Tory MEP Edward McMillan-Scott from the party should be quietly rescinded. I don't share his enthusiasm for all things EU, but I can recognise political integrity when I see it, and there is far too little of it about.
WE are in danger of becoming a mean-minded, jealous nation. Every day brings expressions of outrage at someone's high salary. Bankers are a particular target (though not footballers). Others include the bosses of hospital trusts and the like – "earning more than the Prime Minister" is a particular term of outrage.
A study from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says that most people don't object to disparities in earnings. "For the most part, they attribute higher earnings to high-level ability, performance or social contribution."
Not only that. "Attitudes towards those on low incomes were often more negative than attitudes towards the rich. They did not find abstract arguments for greater equality persuasive."
Feelings towards people on benefits avoided sentiment – probably because the public see the effects at closer quarters than the theorists. What was seen as objectionable was not having more than other people but getting something for nothing.
The trouble is that it is the Harriet Harmans who have the power to decide things.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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